


Rebirth

by OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor



Series: Greed!Hughes [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gen, Greed is snarky, Greed!Hughes, Hughes is snarky, I had to mess with cannon a bit, Roy has no idea how much more complicated his life just got, backstory ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:59:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9884954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor/pseuds/OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor
Summary: Hughes is now Greed, and this is the story of how that happens.





	

     Bido crept after the Fuhrer. He knew in his heart this was a bad idea, but the Fuhrer had Greed, and everyone else… everyone else was dead. Bido scrunched his eyes shut for a moment. He couldn’t think about that right now. If he just followed Greed… Maybe, just maybe, everything would be ok.

     Bido followed the Fuhrer all the way to Central, then deep beneath the city. Not good, not good, not good, not good, Bido chanted in his head. But still he followed. The scene that followed was like something from a nightmare. Bido watched from the rafters as Greed screamed and cursed as he was lowered into a vat. Bido shoved his fist into his mouth to keep from crying out, tears streaming down his face. The leader, Father, they called him, collected a red liquid from a little spigot at the base of the cauldron they dropped Greed in. Father studied the liquid for a moment.

     “Well, Greed, maybe I’ll have use for you again someday,” he said before tossing the vial to Envy. “Put that somewhere safe, until we find a decent host vessel.” Envy muttered about not needing someone so useless as Greed and stomped off. Bido followed.

     “Useless fool, Envy muttered. “Never did anything for us, just ran off to ‘live his own life’. What an idiot. He got what he deserved. Good riddance. Now, I suppose it’s time for Lust and me to have some fun.” He grinned evilly. “That Hughes has been poking a little too close to the Truth, and it’s time to do something about that.”  Shoving the vial in a cupboard, Envy stomped away. And Bido did something he had become very very good at in the Devil’s Nest: he stole the vial.

     Continuing to follow the Homunculi didn’t seem to be a good idea. But Bido did it anyway. At least it gave him a clear path out of the hell hole under Central (and this from someone who lived --- _had lived---_ in a place called the Devil’s Nest) and out into the open air again. Why he continued to follow after that was a question Bido couldn’t answer. Really, he should be running as far away as possible. When the Homunculi entered the Central military headquarters, Bido stayed outside, hiding himself in some bushed behind a phone booth.

     “Greed,” he asked the vial cradled in his hands, “What am I supposed to do now?” Tears streamed down his face, and Bido curled in on himself, a little ball of pain. How long he stayed like that, Bido didn’t know. A commotion by the phone booth caught his attention.

            “I need to speak to Roy Mustang now!” a voice barked. A moment of silence as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, then a string of numbers. Bido watched in horror as Envy cornered their prey, switching faces with a manic smile. The man hesitated, gun wavering in his hands. And Envy struck. Bido waited until the Homunculus was gone before creeping out of the bushes. The man in the phone booth lay in a pool of his own blood. He was still alive, but barely. Bido looked at the vial clutched in his hand, then back at the man. This was probably an awful idea. But everything had been awful since the Fuhrer showed up under Dublith. It can’t get much worse, Bido decided. Cradling the man’s head in his lap, Bido uncapped the vial and coaxed the liquid down the man’s throat.

***

 _Not dead then,_ Hughes thought. _But this might be worse. Like burning and freezing at the same time. Like his very soul was under attack, being torn slowly to ribbons, surrounded by a dense red fog._

 **Well, your soul is under attack** , another voice intruded smoothly. **Name’s Greed, and this body is mine now.**

 _Like hell!_ Hughes thought back at him.

**Feisty, aren’t you? No wonder you go in trouble with the family.**

_Family… That THING that attacked me… I’m sure it was a homunculus… You’re a homunculus?_

**Bingo! Give the boy a cookie! Though I’m what you’d call the ‘black sheep’ of the family.** The red fog started to coalesce, forming a face, fangs bared in a leer.

**You’re doing quite well, fending me off. I didn’t expect so much resistance from the original soul.**

_I have too much to live for,_ Hughes growled. The face, Greed, laughed.

**I like your spirit! Greedy for life. I’ve got control now, I suppose there’s no harm in letting you stick around. You amuse me.**

_What the hell?_ Hughes asked, though it no longer felt like he was being torn to pieces.

 **I’m only going to say this once, because I don’t do explanations,** Greed said. **I’m a homunculus. I think you figured that bit out. This body is now mine. Got that? Mine. I’m letting your soul stay because I find you amusing. So, you’re also mine. The end!**

***

     Greed opened his eyes. Bido peered down at him nervously.

     “Greed?” he asked. “Is... is it you?”

     “Yeah, I’m Greed,” the homunculus started, only to be interrupted by the rather lizard-faced man letting out a sob and clutching Greed tightly to his chest.

     “I thought I’d lost you forever!” he cried rocking back and forth. Greed was so shocked he didn’t pull away.

     “Um,” he started, fully intending to ask who the hell the lizard man was, but he was again interrupted, this time by a pair of Amestrian servicemen, a dark-haired man and a blonde woman.

     “Hughes!” the man cried. He only refrained from dropping to his knees next to Greed at the woman’s quietly bitten ‘sir!’. Greed pushed himself out of Bido’s lap, into a sitting position.

     “Listen, all this attention is flattering, but I don’t know any of you people.” Mustang’s face fell and Bido let out a strangled sob.

     “We need to move,” Hawkeye said calmly. Greed noted that she’d drawn a gun at some point. Not that it could hurt him, but the little lizard man who seemed so fond of him… **Mine now** , Greed thought, well, a bullet could definitely hurt him.

 _And the Hawk’s Eye doesn’t miss,_ Hughes added helpfully in the back of Greed’s mind.

     “The car’s just around the corner,” the woman was saying. “Can you move?” This was directed at Greed, her voice carefully neutral. He staggered to his feet with a wince.

 **What the hell happened to you?** he asked Hughes mentally.

 _Your siblings,_ Hughes replied drily. Out loud, Greed said,

      “I can manage.” He started a little when Bido slipped under his arm, supporting him. Mustang led the way, Hawkeye following covering the group with her gun.

      “Ooo, this is nice,” Greed cooed, sliding into the back seat. Mustang and Hawkeye had a quick, whispered conversation that ended with Hawkeye in the passenger seat, handgun still at the ready and Mustang in the driver’s seat.

 _We’re doomed,_ Hughes said morosely. _If I’m still alive, this might kill me._

 **What are you going on about?** Greed asked.

 _Roy’s driving. If we survive this trip, it will be a miracle._ Before Greed could respond to Hughes, Mustang punched the accelerator, throwing Greed back into the seat. Hughes might be right about this he thought sourly.

     “Do I even bother to ask where we’re going?” Greed asked.

     “No,” Riza told him firmly.

 **She’s pretty,** Greed thought. **I wonder…**

 _Don’t even,_ Hughes chided him. _First, she’s totally off limits. Second, Roy would roast you into crispy crunchy pieces. Third, he wouldn’t get the chance, because Riza would take you out herself. And I’M still in here too, and would like to keep my body intact._

 **MY body,** Greed corrected distractedly. The rest of his focus was on not engaging his ultimate shield and digging his claws into the smooth leather seats.

     “Sir?” Riza asked as Mustang brought the car to a stop. “Do we really want to use the same location as where we kept Barry the Chopper?” Roy shrugged.

      “Well, we already know it’s a decently secure location, and our equipment is still here, so we can radio the rest of the team for back up.” It was silent as the moved into a somewhat rickety room, empty except for a rundown table and a couple chairs that had seen better days. Greed and Roy sat down at the table. Bido hovered just behind Greed, as if he was still afraid to let the homunculus out of his sight, while Hawkeye took up a defensive position by the door.

     “What makes you think I’m just going to go along with this?” Greed asked. Mustang’s shoulders sagged, just a little.

     “Your powers haven’t fully settled into Hughes’ body yet. The cut across his, your forehead hasn’t healed yet. You’re still vulnerable.” Mustang took a deep breath through his nose. “And… we might be useful to each other.” Greed cocked an eyebrow at Mustang.

     “Now you’re speaking my language! What did you have in mind?” Greed asked. Mustang winced.

     “An exchange of information,” the colonel said.

     “Mmm, I’m already in the head of military intelligence,” Greed said, tapping the side of his head. “You’re going to have to do better than that!” Greed leaned his chair back, crossing his ankles on the table.

     “Who the hell are you?” Mustang asked, doing his best to keep the pain of seeing this… this _thing_ that looked like his long time best friend but _wasn’t_ out of his voice.

     “I don’t usually do freebies, but, notoriety is one of the many things I want, so, I’ll tell you who I am. I’m Greed the Avaricious. I want it all. Everything you can think of. Money, power, sex, status, prestige. I want it all. I am Greed distilled and personified. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a homunculus. Though if I’m reading Hughes’ memory right, the existence of homunculi was part of what he wanted to tell you. Why did you show up just then, anyway?” the homunculus asked. Mustang ran a hand through his already messy hair.

     “Hughes called me. I caught a little bit of what sounded like an attack, so I got his location from the dispatcher. I guess I was too late.”

 _Don’t let him beat himself up,_ Hughes spoke up in Greed’s mind. _He’ll worry it like a dog with a bone, obsessing over whether or not he could have saved me._

 **He’s not _my_ friend, it’s not my job to comfort him, ** Greed thought back. He could feel the displeasure radiating from Hughes, but chose to ignore it. It was his body now, and Hughes was just one soul. He’d had centuries of being formed from a philosopher’s stone, he could deal with cranky souls. He dragged his attention back to Mustang.

    “I guess I was too late, though,” Mustang was saying, “because when we got there we found you.” He frowned. “How did,” he gestured vaguely to Greed, “ _this_ happen, anyway?” Greed paused. He didn’t actually know. His first memory was of arguing with Hughes as he fought for control of the body. Bido made a small noise, as if seeking permission, so Greed nodded magnanimously. No sense in admitting there was something he didn’t know.

 **You know, I can _feel_ you rolling your eyes in there, **he told Hughes irritably. **Settle down, this probably concerns you too.**

 _I thought nothing concerned me anymore,_ Hughes responded snarkily, _as I’m just a soul sharing your space…_

 **Just shut up and listen, would you?** Greed told him.

     “It all started under Dublith, after we grabbed Alphonse Elric…” Bido started.

     “Alphonse Elric?” Mustang shouted, slamming his hands on the table. Bido flinched. Greed glared at Mustang.

     “Hey, leave him alone!” Greed growled. “You’re the one who wanted him to tell this story.”

     “Are Ed and Al all right?” Riza asked. They all turned to look at her, having almost forgotten she was there. Her focus was on Bido, though.

     “Are the Elric brothers all right?” she repeated softly. Bido nodded.

     “Yes, their teacher showed up, then Fuhrer Bradley, and that’s when things went horribly wrong for us…” he shuddered, looking at Greed in desperation.

     “Everyone else… the rest of the Devil’s Nest gang…” he choked, “are… are dead!” He buried his head in his hands.

 _Comfort him!_ Hughes scolded inside his head. But Greed was frozen. Flashes of another body, of another life, of a group of chimeras like Bido who were under his protection, who were **his** swept through Greed’s mind. Coming back to the present, Greed found himself gently patting Bido’s shoulder. Did he decide to do that? Greed wondered, or was it somehow Hughes’ influence? No, that was impossible. Bido pulled himself together to continue the story, explaining how he had stayed hidden and followed the Fuhrer, and everything that had come after, up to pouring the vial (which he hadn’t known was a philosopher’s stone) down Hughes’ throat.

 _Things that seem like a good idea at the time…_ Hughes commented drily.

      “I can’t believe he melted me down!” Greed said irritably. “Well, I can actually, this is the guy who makes homunculi who are vice personified… But he melted me down!” Greed huffed. “So you’re out to take down my baby brother, Wrath, right? The one you know as Fuhrer Bradley? Why don’t you set your sights a bit higher and take out my old man while you’re at it?” Greed glanced at a rather dazed Roy Mustang. “If that’s your goal, I’ll cooperate. At least until we take Father down. Then all bets are off.” He leered at Mustang, and threw a wink at Riza for good measure. _That_ shook the alchemist out of his stupor, though his lieutenant acted like she hadn’t seen.

**So that’s what Hughes meant when he said she was unavailable… they’re a couple.**

_I wish!_ Hughes muttered. _They should be, but they won’t. Military regulations, Roy’s ambition, the shadowy past they have that neither one of them will talk about…_ Hughes heaved a long-suffering sigh. _If you’re going to be using my body, please remember to pester Roy about needing a wife. And by ‘wife’ I definitely mean Riza, but don’t say that. I have bets going about how long this is going to take them._

 **What is with your pathological need to parent everybody?** Greed asked. He could feel Hughes’ mental shrug.

_Pay attention, I think they’re going to decide what to do with you… us._

**That’s not denial,** Greed threw at Hughes before turning his focus fully outward. Roy and Riza were finishing up a non-verbal conversation. **Totally married,** Greed noted.

 _Put money on it, I’ll add you to the pool,_ Hughes chimed. Roy stared at him, hard. Bido shifted nervously behind him, even though the full intensity of the glare wasn’t directed at the chimera. Greed didn’t flinch.

     “The lieutenant and I have decided to accept your offer. There are a couple other people I trust that I’m going to call in, then we can discuss… how we proceed.”

     “Team Mustang, right? Breda, Havoc, Fuery, and Falman?” Greed asked. Mustang cocked his head.

      “Yes… but what did you call them?” the alchemist asked.

     “Team Mustang. That’s the label in Hughes’ mind.” Greed said.

 _You didn’t have to tell him that!_ Hughes scolded. The faintest ghost of a smile brushed across Roy’s lips.

     “He would,” Roy muttered, barely audible. He continued, louder. “My team are the only ones we can trust. And you can’t just wander around Central wearing Hughes’ face. We’ll have to figure something out, maybe fake your death…”

     “And why can’t I ‘wander around Central’?” Greed pouted. Mustang looked at him pointedly.

     “As much as you look like Maes Hughes, you’re not him. And I’m not going to let a homunculus rummage through any more state secrets than I have to,” Roy threatened.

      “Is that so?” Greed glared back.

     “Boys. Enough.” Riza’s commanding voice cut through the tension, and both Greed and Roy leaned back. **How does she do that?** Greed wondered.

     “But I agree with the colonel,” Riza continued, “you can’t go to work as Maes Hughes. We’ll have to figure out an alternative.” As Greed watched, all the color suddenly drained from Roy’s face.

     “Oh my god,” he said, “what do we tell Gracia?” Hawkeye’s face dropped, matching Roy’s pallor. She stared at Greed in horror.

     “Who’s Gracia?” Greed asked. Hawkeye and Roy just stared at him, too caught up in their own thoughts. Hughes, however, had no such issues.

 _Gracia is only the most wonderful woman on the entire planet! And she married me! And… no wonder Roy’s panicking, I should probably be panicking too, but there is no way we are letting them tell her I’m dead when I’m not dead… Well, this is going to get complicated. But Gracia is so strong…”_ Hughes continued babbling about the virtues of his wife and Greed felt his jaw drop just a little.

 **“Wife?”** he said not realizing he was speaking out loud as well as to Hughes. **“I have a wife?”**

 _No,_ Hughes corrected, _I have a wife, and you’re just currently renting space in my body._

 **How are you so chill about this situation?** Greed asked. **Really, you should be curled into a ball of existential doubt right about now. I mean, you managed to survive joining with a philosopher’s stone, but even so, why the hell are you so calm?**

 _Would it change anything?_ Hughes asked pragmatically. _It happened, I have to deal with it. I’ll have a break down later, after I know my family is safe, will that work for you?_

 **You’re almost as snarky as Envy,** Greed told him.

 _I refuse to be compared to someone your conscious labels as ‘the garbage lizard’,_ Hughes responded.

     “We can’t tell her this,” Roy said, finally having recovered enough for speech.

 _No, no, no_ Hughes chanted.

     “I agree, sir,” said Riza. “Maybe the idea of faking his death you suggested…”

       _Like hell!_ Hughes growled. Then the deluge started. Memories, emotions, overwhelming sensations, all focused on Gracia. These were… Hughes feelings? What was going on? Greed felt his control slipping. What? How could his control be _slipping_? Greed scrabbled to regain his mental balance in the face of so much raw emotion, but it was too late. Hughes had momentarily gained control. He blinked.

     “Roy?” he asked. Mustang frowned.

     “Yes? It hasn’t changed?” Roy said, an edge to his voice.

     “Roy!” Hughes wrapped him in a quick spontaneous hug, lunging across the table. Roy stiffened.

     “It’s me! It’s actually Hughes. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to maintain control, though. Greed is _not happy._ So I need you to listen to me. DO NOT lie to Gracia about what happened to me. Don’t do that to her. You don’t realize how strong she is. She can probably help, honestly. GRACIA NEEDS TO KNOW.” He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. When they opened again, the cheerful brown had been replaced by a hard purple. Greed planted his hands on the table, panting heavily.

 **What the hell was that?** Greed growled.

 _I couldn’t let them lie to Gracia,_ Hughes said, utterly unrepentant.

 **Don’t do that again,** Greed said.

 _No promises,_ Hughes replied blithely. Greed groaned.

 **You’re impossible,** he groused.

 _You better focus,_ Hughes said. _Roy’s starting to look worried._

Greed turned his focus outward.

     “Do what he says, for the love of all things good, and don’t lie to his wife!” And there was no more talk of lying to Gracia. Much talk of _what, exactly_ they would tell Gracia, but not of leaving her out of the considerations.


End file.
